sashkello
Registered
Hello, fellow Aussies!
I've heard (and read) lots of good stuff about Chowder Bay (Sydney), and after browsing some amazing photos online finally got over there last weekend to check it out. Since me and my wife are "expecting", diving is off the list for now, so we limit ourselves to snorkeling. Nevertheless, I read it's good for snorkeling as well and either side near the nets or the pier should be awesome.
However, it ended up with a disappointment. We saw literally nothing... OK, almost literally. Over a 45 minute swim I managed to find three (!) fishes (nothing new, a goby and a couple of butterflyfishes). I eyeballed the net for seahorses, inspected the overgrown bridge columns, even spent some time over the grassy floor closer to the shore: nothing there... Visibility was quite poor, but I still didn't expect it to be so overwhelmingly... lonely?
So, my question to those who have been there: what were we doing wrong? Is it the wrong spot (we were within the net enclosure)? Or should we have timed it to get there at incoming tide? Something else? Or is it all deeper down and unavailable for snorkelers? Share your advice, please, I'm feeling like we're missing out on a great experience, and I don't know why...
I've heard (and read) lots of good stuff about Chowder Bay (Sydney), and after browsing some amazing photos online finally got over there last weekend to check it out. Since me and my wife are "expecting", diving is off the list for now, so we limit ourselves to snorkeling. Nevertheless, I read it's good for snorkeling as well and either side near the nets or the pier should be awesome.
However, it ended up with a disappointment. We saw literally nothing... OK, almost literally. Over a 45 minute swim I managed to find three (!) fishes (nothing new, a goby and a couple of butterflyfishes). I eyeballed the net for seahorses, inspected the overgrown bridge columns, even spent some time over the grassy floor closer to the shore: nothing there... Visibility was quite poor, but I still didn't expect it to be so overwhelmingly... lonely?
So, my question to those who have been there: what were we doing wrong? Is it the wrong spot (we were within the net enclosure)? Or should we have timed it to get there at incoming tide? Something else? Or is it all deeper down and unavailable for snorkelers? Share your advice, please, I'm feeling like we're missing out on a great experience, and I don't know why...